SUPERCRUZES

It was a nice Saturday

2012-01-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

Late in the afternoon, Emma decided to put to use one of the canvases she got for Christmas.

When Lydia came in from playing outside she quickly decided to join in.

Five minutes later Afton came in too and made it a sister painting trifecta.

I love those girls.

Do you love adoption? Do you love truffles?

2012-01-19T07:56:00.000-05:00

My friend from high school is going to adopt a sweet baby this spring.
In case you hadn't heard, adoption is expensive.
Luckily, this friend has some sweet skills in the kitchen, so she's making and selling truffles for Valentine's Day to help bring their baby home.
Go here to help a family by eating chocolate...it's win-win!

Panda Birthday Party

2012-01-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

Despite my best efforts, Emma turned 12 last week. Too old. Her very favorite thing right now is pandas. Panda, panda, all day long. She really took the lead in planning her birthday party. She painted a panda for pinning the tail on, filled a jar with candy to guess the number, and she gave our favorite party game, States, an animal twist (when she had her Harry Potter party a couple of years ago, we played the same game but used villians) . I basically just showed up to make the cupcakes.

Panda or Mickey Mouse? I'll admit it's a bit of a stretch.

Enough pandas for each guest, then the
extras were just chocolate (panda poop?).

We were both stumped for party favors though. I try really hard to steer clear of just a bag of candy but could not come up with anything panda-ish that wouldn't take me a million hours to sew. Luckily the creative genius, Cally, was only a phone call away and she suggested, why not get some mugs at the dollar store and paint them with ceramic paint? So that's exactly, precisely what we did (she did it a long time ago, see here).

Retiring the 2011 books

2012-01-12T20:14:00.000-05:00

23 books again, third year in a row. What's the deal? Next year I'll have to count up the list in early December and take some measures to finish with a different total.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

Anything But Typical - Nora Baskin

Matched - Ally Condie

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey -Trenton Lee Stewart

Indigo Blue - Cathy Cassidy

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

The Chosen - Chaim Potok

Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah

The Widow of the South - Robert Hicks

The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

Black Beauty - Anna Sewell

Mudhouse Sabbath - Lauren Winner

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford

The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Elizabeth George Speare

The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

Life As We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer

There was a wide range this year; some of them were incredible, some of them were just plain awful. I read most books for book club, a few because I was headed out the door to some appointment and just grabbed something off the shelf, a handful because they were what my kids were reading and I love to read what they're reading, and a couple that friends thrust into my hands and said, "Read this!" My friend, Alice, just posted some good tips for finding time to read. I totally dig her list, she read twice as much as me in 2011.

My favorite of the year was hands down The Book Thief. I can't sing enough praises about that book. The writing is probably the best I've ever read. Unbroken is an captivating true account...a little long to get through but worth it. I really enjoyed all the classics, as well. Most of them were pretty short and easy. And I was so pleased to end the year with A Christmas Carol. I've watched a dozen different movie adaptations but I've never actually read it before. I'm so glad I did--beautiful, compelling writing. No wonder it's withstood the test of time.

Do you like cool cameras?

2012-01-11T07:51:00.000-05:00

Pretty much the giveaway of the century is going on now at My Four Hens Photography. Go check it out, it will make your day that someone is being so generous.

All five

2012-01-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

For just two Sundays--today and next week--all five kids are in Primary. Afton had her first day as a very young Sunbeam, and Emma is just nine days shy of her 12th birthday. I'm so glad the kids' ages are close. I'm so glad they love each other. I'm so glad their favorite thing ever is posing for photos. Oh wait, never mind.

I wanted to capture this brief time of unity, and here's how it went. The big kids have standing instructions: just keep looking and smiling. The little girls are coerced, bribed and threatened: just look at the camera, please--if you could hold still and smile too that'd be great, but mostly just look over here. These crack me up.

December

2011-12-29T16:51:00.000-05:00

I took shockingly few photos this month. Shockingly.

Not even a one from Christmas day.

This is why I need a personal photographer to be a part of my daily life.

Please contact me if you are interested in an unpaid photojournalism internship.

I did take a few though, stuff did happen...

We joined Cruzes for our second year visiting Dillsboro. It was 500% better than last year. I think it was the horse-drawn wagon ride that did it.

Afton turned THREE. She wanted cinnamon rolls for her cake

Reasons why I love Ben #512: he left Josh a sweet message with pennies.

The pageant lives on!

Reason why I love Josh #476

2011-12-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

Just before dinner I over heard Ben and Josh discussing their favorite X-Men characters (they've been devouring the old cartoons on Netflix). When Ben mentioned Colossus, Josh jumped in with, "Yeah, I like him too. He's from Russia. Just like Pyotr Tchaikovsky."

Last week it snowed for about half an hour.

2011-12-13T07:26:00.000-05:00

And the children rejoiced.

While I made dinner...

2011-12-11T13:54:00.000-05:00

...Afton invited all her friends to a party on the stairs.

Fantasy of Trees, 2011 edition

2011-12-08T07:19:00.000-05:00

It's always a good time. Made even better by meeting up with some good company while we were there. Thanks again, Langfords, for the tickets.

Carousel shots remind me of this movie.

It appears Scott's sister donated this little church thing. Like, ten years ago before she was married and got a new last name, apparently.

In case you like winning stuff...

2011-12-02T13:51:00.000-05:00

...there's a little giveaway going on over at Amme and Neb: the blog.

Obsessed

2011-11-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

Afton is. Obsessed. With drawing. She is literally running me out of paper. The stack pictured above represents about half a day's worth of her efforts. She likes to draw people--everyone she knows. She tries to draw smiles but once in awhile one will turn out as a frown and she'll lament, "Aww, Lydia [or whoever she's drawing] is sad."

Thanksgiving Talent Show 2011

2011-11-25T10:52:00.001-05:00

Afton has a funny relationship with her Knoxville cousins, aunts and uncles. They love her like crazy. She's the youngest of the bunch and is in high demand. About a year ago she could not tolerate a single one of them. All of their repeated and earnest efforts at showing any amount of love were met with flat out rejection: crying, growling, "go away!"s, hitting...anything to send the message loud and clear: "How dare you love me. Take your kindness elsewhere." Somewhere over the last few months her heart of ice thawed out at least partially. She doesn't mind them all so much anymore and will accept hugs and high fives most of the time. She is still very particular though. If she's not in the mood for you, you'd better just back off. It's become a sport of sorts to see who can win her affection/tolerance and who she will kick to the curb. Many tactics are used--ipads, treats, phones and up high--with varying degrees of success and sustainability. We thought it would be fun to put the whole saga to music for this year's talent show. Bonus: the night before Thanksgiving, we were treated to a sweet and endearing Afton who spent the last hour before bedtime telling all of the cousins that they were her best friend and showering them with hugs and kisses and pretend stickers and stamps. It was nice to have a happy ending.

{Movie styling is a nod to the Smith family's music video, which we all enjoyed seeing last summer.
We also appreciate the intro to a cool song.}

Ragnar video update

2011-11-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

You can help us achieve fame and glory if you vote for our team video as the best one.

Right here.

I think you have to LIKE Ragnar to vote, so no pressure.
But seriously, go do it. And tell your kids to. And all of their friends.
Thanks, I like you too!

Ragnar Relay Tennessee 2011

2011-11-10T10:05:00.001-05:00

We did it.
It was awesome.
I ran my last leg around 4am, what could be more awesome than that?
Scott ran five miles straight up a mountain (that's why I married him...that and his endless encouragement and enthusiasm).
I got to train with Lisa in the weeks leading up to the race, which made it so much more fun.
One event motivated me to start something new and end up loving it.
Check us out...
(and vote for our video here!)

Trunk or Treating

2011-10-31T07:34:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween! Last wednesday we gathered our children from around the world and throughout history for the trunk or treat. This year's family theme stemmed from Emma's idea to be an ancient Egyptian...

She totally made her costume all by herself. The white sheet is the same one I used
for the Bride of Frankenstein last year, she just had to take it in and cut some off the bottom.

Once hers was decided, we just looked to the rest of the world for inspiration and played on everyone's natural gifts and talents. Ben, for example, has red hair--he's Irish, easy!

A green vest and one felt shamrock for clarification.
Kind of wishing I'd made a burlap potato sack for his candy bag.

And who has a black and white horizontal striped shirt? Afton! Hello France!

Super-easy felt red beret was the only thing different from a normal outfit for her.
When we got in the car to leave she cried and cried, "I don't have a costume!"
She was consoled when people started giving her candy

We have the Langfords to thank for Josh and Lydia's costumes. They handed down the Native American costume to us long ago, and lent us some authentic Chinese silks for Josh

Scott got off very easy this year by dressing as a Spaniard. (His name tag says Hello My Name is Inigo Montoya. Get it? Ha!). I threw on some black knee socks with sandals and a USA t-shirt to play tourist.

They will mostly mix it up for tonight, I'll have to do a follow-up with the new costumes. Prediction: at least two princesses.

{see past family themes here, here, and here}

Hiking Abrams Falls

2011-10-25T07:19:00.000-04:00

We have frequently kicked ourselves for living here for so long and taking so little advantage of the Great Smoky Mountains. Last summer's excursions to Metcalf Bottoms were officially the first time we've gone up that way as a family. Last Saturday we made recompense for our sin of omission and took the kids hiking.

Cades Cove Loop is not for the faint of heart during peak tourist season. We looked potential hours of slow-moving traffic in the face and decided to go anyway, because who knows when we'll find the right window of time for going again? We knew it was going to be worth it when we saw colors like this out the sunroof.

It was just as crowded as we expected, and it got more than a little nerve-wracking when at times we traveled 1/10 of a mile in twenty minutes. But faces like this in the backseats let us know the kids would survive just fine:

I love where we live. I love it.

Early in the loop we saw this small group of deer and got all excited. I leaned over Scott in the driver's seat to zoom in and snap up a bunch of photos.

Not long after that sighting the traffic came to a total standstill, so the kids and I got out to stretch our legs and walked ahead a bit. It didn't take long to find out why the line of cars was stopped. Three does were foraging around just about ten feet away from the kids and I as we stood at the roadside.

Finally we made it to our destination, the Abrams Falls trailhead. Two and a half miles each way didn't seem like a very strenuous hike and we'd heard that this was an easy stroll up the mountain. It was beautiful but Lydia and Afton heartily disagreed about the easy part and were both carried a good portion of the way. I didn't mind carrying them as most of the trail was a mess of sticking-up roots and rocks. Every time one of them attempted to walk unassisted resulted in a face-plant and/or skinned knees.

The bridges were a favorite.

Emma curated a fine collection of leaves.

Success!

On the hike out we were all a bit more tired.

As we were nearing the end we nearly walked right by this guy.

The very last of our wildlife sightings was on our drive out of the loop when we saw a baby bear impossibly high up in a tree. Our new resolution is to not be such a stranger to the national forrest right in our backyard.

Everyone loves a corn maze

2011-10-23T12:51:00.000-04:00

We took the kids and met all of the other Cruzes at Oakes Farm a few weeks ago for a day of corn-filled fun. I may go back and make this day a movie, it was so fun. For now, I wanted to share the goodness before it slips too far into the past. There's still time, go on and have youself some good old fashioned farm fun.

Everyone loves climbing on an old, rusty tractor.

Everyone loves sliding down bumpy pipes. Especially Afton. She reminded me of Josh with his infatuation with the slides in Golden Gate Park. Up and down, up and down.

Everyone loves giant tires. And vibrant blue skies.

Everyone loves people-sized hamster wheels. Especially falling in them.

Everyone loves bouncing.

Everyone loves lunch.

Everyone loves getting lost. Afton soon grew bored of riding and wanted to walk, so we let her lead us the rest of the time. We missed more than half the checkpoints, but made our way out before anyone else.

Another finish

2011-10-21T14:05:00.000-04:00

About two and a half years ago I learned to crochet.

Soon Cally pointed me to this blog. Which is where I found this tutorial (fantastic, bytheway--best clear photographs and descriptions I've come across for crochet). Which led to the beginnings of this afghan. For the first eighteen months or so it was slow going. I pulled it out to work on so rarely that it was like starting from scratch (it pretty much only came out on these weekends). I had to re-look up the tutorial and spend as much time trying to remember how to switch yarns as I did adding stitches.

Then last winter something wonderful happened--yarn fever took over at Scott's parents' house. Every time we went there to visit (which was nearly every week), Cally and Mandy and Rachel and I would sit and work our hooks and needles through the whole evening of talking. Crocheting is a whole different animal than sewing. It's the perfect thing for conversation, intent listening, and busy thoughts. I think I concentrate better when my hands are moving. For weeks and months real progress was made. My s-i-ls each went through project after beautiful project while I just kept adding and adding to my big afghan. The goal was for it to be big enough for at least two people to share, keeping them well covered, from feet to chin.
5 feet 8 inches later here it is. Tested and approved.

All five kids can fit if they snuggle. Just right for a cold, rainy day like this one.
(It was sunny the day I took the shots of it on the ground.)

Here's why I wanted to make it:
When I was little, there was a green afghan. The green afghan. It was sought after and fought over and used and used and used. Movie nights, Saturday morning cartoons, naps on the couch, forts in the basement, it was the one everyone wanted most. My grandpa made it. I have fond memories associated with the green afghan, and I wanted something like that for our kids. Not that they'll be attached to blanket itself, necessarily, but that it will be something always there in the background of their childhood memories. Hopefully it will carry that same nostalgic magic that comes with smells and songs that transport you through time.

Just give them an audience and they will ham it up. "Let's pretend to be asleep!"

I feel a little lost now without that standby project to keep my hands busy. And I realize that rippling is the only thing I know how to do now. What next, what next.....

Rule #1 around here: if you take a smiling photo, you must take a silly photo.

BLT Deviled Eggs

2011-10-19T21:02:00.000-04:00

These are good, good, good. Thank you, Paula Deen.

I totally ran a half marathon yesterday

2011-10-16T14:35:00.000-04:00

There was no crowd, no sponsors nor officials, and I didn't get a t-shirt. But maybe I'll get myself one of those 13.1 magnets for the van because that's how many miles I ran.

The training schedule I've been following to get ready for Ragnar (only three more weeks!) had me doing a 120 minute run for yesterday. It seemed like a good idea to go just a little longer to earn half marathon bragging rights. By about mile 10 or 11 I wanted to quit. Bad. But I'd already told Scott I was going to do it, and how could I go home and admit defeat? So I managed to put myself in auto-jog mode and trot along to the bitter end.

There you have it: The inaugural Lori Cruze Cherokee Boulevard Half Marathon, 2:22:iforgettheseconds.

I've got my sights on a full marathon in the spring. Hold me to it.

Baby quilt finish

2011-10-13T10:13:00.001-04:00

Um, yeah, remember that quilt top I made way back in March? Guess what? It only took seven months to make it into a finished quilt!

My friend had a baby shower last week (luckily she's having a girl) and it was just the motivation I needed to finish it up. My plan for closely-spaced straight line quilting seemed less awesome when it was in fact taking me all of forever to quilt it. I decided that the lines would ebb and flow between close together (1/4 inch) and further apart (2 inches). I think it turned out very nice like that, but then I saw crazymomquilt's big quilt that was done entirely with the close-together straight lines and I immediately wished I'd had the patience to keep going with the 1/4 inch spacing. I'm such a quilting baby.

the back

I love quilts. I love thinking about them and looking at them and planning them and even making them. I don't know why it takes me so long.

Welcome, October

2011-10-02T14:36:00.002-04:00

Oh, Afton...

2011-09-28T07:10:00.000-04:00

Schoolwork makes me laugh - Josh and Ben edition

2011-09-26T07:34:00.001-04:00

I love Josh's confidence. He is important. And I can't think of a better reason to go to China than to become Emperor.

And I was so impressed with Ben's illustration of "suspicious." How did he know to do the eyes like that? The hand on the chin? The desperation in the accused's expression?

Mario Snack bags for Andy

2011-09-23T07:51:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to Andy a couple weeks ago. He had a rockin' Mario party. It seemed like theme-inspired snack bags were the way to go for his gift.

This one was double-sided...

...see?

Afton sans siblings

2011-09-21T07:41:00.000-04:00

It has been interesting watching Afton react to being home without her brothers or sisters for a few hours each day. She reminds me a bit of me when I was little, the way she likes to play. I used to spend hours in my room playing with the little dollhouse and the little people. At some point I would always line the people up, snaking them around the room. Afton likes to spend some quality time with the little people also. (She includes the robots and ponies too.) For about the first two weeks of school, Afton made a new arrangement of all her things lined up on the floor every single day.

Scott = Awesome

2011-09-18T13:35:00.000-04:00

Remember how Scott was all like, "Yeah, I've never really done any running before but I just went and busted out 8 miles. Whatever." Oh that guy.
So Saturday we ran in a 5k with some of our fellow Ragnar team members. I made it in just under 29 minutes which I was excited about (broke through the 10-minute mile barrier--good for me!). And Scott? What did Scott do? Oh, just placed third in his age group. Just brought home a medal, that's all. Just ran that steep-hill-infused 3.1 mile course in about 23 1/2 minutes. Who is this guy??

A treat so delicious they were eaten before I thought to take a photo - S'more Truffles

2011-09-15T07:50:00.000-04:00

For Lydia's birthday this week (hello, five-year-old) she requested oreo truffles instead of a cake. Wonderful choice. As I was nearing the end of my truffle-dipping I realized I'd have a good portion of melted milk chocolate left over. I would never, ever let good chocolate go to waste, so I started thinking about what else I could dip in it. Graham crackers came immediately to mind, then I remembered the bag of huge campfire marshmallows sitting in the pantry and the rest wrote itself. While I finished up the oreo truffles I asked the kids to smash up a sleeve of graham crackers and bring me the marshmallows. I was thinking bite-sized, so I sliced the jumbo marshmallows into four discs each (key to slicing marshmallows: wet knife). Then I dipped each slice in the chocolate and rolled it in the graham cracker crumbs. They were de-lic-ious. They looked cute too, wish I'd thought to take a photo before they were gobbled up. I'll be making them again.

How to encourage your darling children to kindly put their dishes in the dishwasher

2011-09-04T12:50:00.000-04:00

Step One: Find a photo of yourself in a threatening pose taken by your eleven-year-old the night before she left for Washington DC (if you don't have one feel free to use mine, I can scare any kid straight).

Step Two: Add some threatening text.

Step Three: Place threatening reminder by the sink in hopes that your kids will realize you mean business and are sick of telling them in person.

Having had so much fun you made a movie out of it: Boating Edition

2011-08-26T11:49:00.000-04:00

It's all about who you know. We're always glad to know the Langfords and Sextons, even when they're not taking us out partying on their boats. But we like them extra when they are.

{First half: fun in the beautiful sunset. Second half: battle royal.}

It begins...

2011-08-24T18:59:00.000-04:00

Early mornings, packing lunches, homework. It's all come back with a vengeance.

Middle school is different, but it hasn't killed anyone yet.

Kindergarten has been on a stagger schedule for the first two weeks, so Lydia's first day was different from the big kids. When she got in the van after school that day she grabbed me in a tight squeeze and said ardently, "I love kindergarten."

I guess it's not all bad.

Losing my delicate grip on reality -OR- entering Ragnar Relay Tennessee

2011-08-23T15:03:00.000-04:00

I'm not a runner.
Wait, let me start over.
!!Newsflash!! I'm not a runner.
I typically huff and puff my way to a treadmill mile then move on to something less threatening and more fun.
So why was it when Lisa mentioned that a friend of hers was putting together a 12-person (6-couples) team to relay race all the way from Chattanooga to Nashville my interest was piqued? Skyrocketed?
Internal dialogue: that's crazy, I could never do that. unless I trained. which wouldn't be fun. but the race might be fun. it would be different, a goal, a singular life experience. think of the glory. trying something hard is good. you'll grow. stronger.
That day (for the first time ever?) I ran two miles. That's all it took. I was hooked. I talked with Scott about it on and off for days, read every page on the website, copied down the training schedule (the "beginner" one) and started to follow it. Without ever actually talking to the lady organizing this deal and committing. I kept it as an idea, a thought, an imaginary end to a made up story for awhile, to see if it would fizzle out or hang on. It hung. We're running.
My progress is slow but steady. I can run a few miles without stopping or thinking I'm going to die now.
Scott rocks the casbah. Seriously, the following anecdote perfectly typifies Scott when he decides to try something physically challenging. (note: He's not a runner either.) So the other night, after looking at the various legs of the race, he decided to go and see just how far he could run. He came back to announce that he went 8 miles without stopping. What, huh? Just like that? Of course.

We're building a fort - part 6

2011-08-17T07:41:00.000-04:00

Overdue post. It was the week after our first big building day that we finished up The Fort. I finally went out and took a few photos the other evening. It is officially complete, but we have a whole list of fun details to add. Those could take us months, or years, or hopefully the rest of forever to get through. We'll keep you posted.

Everyone gets a hook.

Stick-up lights in the top floor.

The kids added these sweet shelves themselves.

We just got our roof replaced (from the hail damage), and the roofers
were kind enough to do The Fort too with the leftover shingles.

Goodbye summer

2011-08-15T08:58:00.002-04:00

Concerning breakfast

2011-08-11T08:05:00.000-04:00

Lydia: "Mom, can I have a waffle for breakfast?" [leftover from breakfast-for-dinner last night]
Me: "Sure."
Afton: "Can I have a popsicle too??"

Embellished burp cloths for baby shower gift

2011-08-08T08:44:00.001-04:00

Nearly forgot; while I still had a bunch of pink and green strips sitting out from making this quilt square, I used them to pretty-up a pair of burp cloths for Nicole's baby shower. Her baby was born last week, and hopefully is enjoying spitting up all over them.

Metcalf Bottoms, take 2

2011-08-04T19:49:00.003-04:00

When you love something, return to it a week later (and take your husband this time, he'll thank you).

And then make a musical montage of your day (because what better way is there to preserve memories, really?).

Then decide to go back just one more time before school starts. I'm thinking some day next week. I love you, Smoky Mountains.

Correction

2011-08-04T07:13:00.000-04:00

When I posted about our beach trip this summer I was still in just-get-that-post-up-there-quick-so-I-can-get-ready-for-the-next-thing mode. I slapped a few photos up and gave no thought whatsoever to a writeup. I've regretted this since, as I left out a key detail and feel a bit like a jerk-face.
It just so happens we went with the Sextons. The wonderful Sextons who we love to share beach adventures with and feel so grateful to have been invited by. We played a hundred games of Dominion, caught crabs after dark, rocked out on the deck while watching fireworks, enjoyed sand and surf every day but the one that it rained), and my favorite part may have been the bonding of Lydia and Trey ("Trey and I are becoming really good pals. He's my bff.")
We love going on vacation with families we love.

Afton holds to Lisa for protection from the ocean.

Metcalf Bottoms

2011-07-24T13:38:00.002-04:00

Perfect summer fun; we joined Langfords, Sextons, Ebberts and Smiths catching fish and crawdads, skipping stones, floating on tubes, building rock dams, digging in mud, icy cold water. Scott was so jealous that we went while he was at work. We'll be headed back with him before school starts. I love you, Smoky Mountains.

Girls Camp

2011-07-20T08:45:00.001-04:00

A friend and I were in charge of the 1st years. They are so funny. And sweet. And trying (of patience). But mostly sweet. I taught them to play Parlez-vous Francais and felt the most agreeable nostolgia for my first year of camp.
We hiked to twin arches, which I'd never seen before and it was beautiful.
The leaders surprised the girls with water balloons after the flour war. They all gave us gluey hugs when we sang We Are The Champions.
They have a song for every single possible situation. Bursting into camp songs left and right; while waiting, when someone said "announcements", while doing dishes.
The songs and the skits were hilarious. Hil-ar-i-ous.
The pranks were plentiful. Best one? When two leaders tackled and bound in duct tape some girls who'd been pranking them.
I got five gnats in my eyes.
We had the best craft in the history of camp crafts.
I remembered my camera but forgot the battery, still charing at home.
The entire time the foremost thought in my mind was Emma. She'll be going next summer. What will she think of dancing the Sally Walker? Will she come up with some good pranks? Will she fall for gawking? Will she be timid or bold? Reserved or spontaneous? Will her testimony grow, strengthen, solidify?
I've already requested to go help out next year if they'll have me. I'm dying to spy on my oldest and see how she takes it all.

You know by now...

2011-07-17T14:12:00.000-04:00

...I love the beach.

This year was no exception.

Lydia's first year to discover boogie boarding.

I was afraid she wouldn't like getting sandy. Silly me, she loved it.

By the third day these little jellyfish were washing up by the dozens.
On the forth day one of them stung Afton when she picked it up out of the water.
After an tense, crying twenty minutes or so she was fine. No one got back in the water though.

Driptopia.

Creatures haunting beds

2011-07-09T22:25:00.000-04:00

When Lydia was younger (and sometimes still) she used to have regular nightmares about some type of bug or animal being in her bed. One night we heard her screaming (screaming) and ran in to find her leaping to the ground in an all-out panic and wailing, "There's a dog in my bed!!" with a terror in her eyes that let us know her dream was 100% reality to her. Similar scenarios repeated over the course of months (years?); spiders, ants, snakes, you name it.
None of our older children ever had recurring nightmares (though Emma had incoherent night-terrors for years when she was little). But for some reason Afton has begun to have the exact same creature-in-the-bed scary dreams that Lydia had. Afton often wakes up repeatedly for a few hours, each time convinced that she has a visitor in her bed, sobbing and pointing out where she saw them.
Last night Afton dreamed about mice, fish, crabs (we were at the beach...more on that later!), spiders, then mice again. It was a long night.

Stuff we've done together --or-- We're building a fort, part five

2011-06-29T20:23:00.004-04:00

After weeks of dormancy, building a fort kicked into high gear last weekend.

Ever since the big run-in with poison ivy, the last of the yard debris sat idle, with only the occasional thought or effort being directed toward it. As spring gave way to summer new poisonous vines found their way up through the soil we'd tried so valiantly to purge. We decided to let them grow for a little while, just long enough to get adequate leafage to absorb the good hefty dose of round-up we administered. Once our enemies were withered and dead, Scott's enthusiasm was renewed. He found a free Saturday and dedicated it to rototilling and leveling the dirt. He spread grass seed and hay (leaving a barren spot where the fort would stand) then we waited and watered. We were blessed once more with an unclaimed Saturday then exponentially blessed with a smattering of cousins and grandpas who arrived with willing helping hands.

It's not done yet, but we got quite a bit done in the one day.

Stuff we did without the kids

2011-06-27T13:15:00.000-04:00

While Emma and Ben were blazing a trail around Ohio and New York (and Josh was at the Langfords--thanks!, and Lydia and Afton were at the Fake Cruzes--thanks!), we were trekking it old school. Scott and I were a Ma and Pa for this summer's youth conference--a pioneer handcart trek. We pulled our carts in about six miles to our camp site, spent a day playing pioneer games and sleeping in tents and using port-a-pottys (day one: not as bad as I thought they'd be, day three: hold your breath and close your eyes and focus on suppressing your gag reflex and you'll be fine), then trekked back out. We had a great time. Couldn't have asked for better kids in our family, good attitudes abounded, and we gained valuable practice with teenagers.

Pa, Tyler, Thomas, Seth, Noah, Jared
McKayla, Ma, Courtney, McKayla (another one), Savannah

Then, a week after our return, we celebrated our anniversary early with a getaway just for us. (Emma, Ben, Josh at Sextons--thanks!, Lydia and Afton at Fake Cruzes again--thanks again!) Guess where we went? The Virginia Creeper. Of course. We stayed in a little apartment for two nights and mostly relaxed and biked the time away. It was so great. I had grand aspirations to do the whole 68 miles both ways, but it turns out I'm just not ready for that. We biked 17 miles from Damascus to Abingdon, then 17 miles back. Our route was almost completely flat, and I guessed it would be pretty easy. But about halfway back to Damascus I thought I was going to die my back and knees and bum were aching so bad. Scott could've rode circles around me at that point, but he politely kept to my snail's pace and lovingly reflected on how hard we'd been riding and how we hadn't taken any real breaks and no wonder I was worn out. That's why I married him. The next day we slept in late then went up the mountain toward Whitetop for a few miles (only 3 or 4) before stopping to wade in the river a bit then coast back down (when we go with the kids we just go from Whitetop to Damascus...all downhill). We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Abingdon's beautiful historic downtown before catching 39 Steps at the Barter Theater.

It was a good anniverary.

And it's not even our anniversary yet.

Stuff the kids did without us

2011-06-26T14:06:00.001-04:00

Do you ever get so behind on documenting the events of the summer you fear you'll never catch up?

It's a good sign, I suppose. This summer has been so full, that time to sit down at the computer and share it all has been hard to come by. Full of good, good stuff. Stuff that deserves longer, more witty and thoughtful write-ups, but I just don't have it in me. We're just going to have to hit the highlights here, folks.

Right after school got out, Emma spent a few days in our nation's capital with her fellow safety patrol members. She loved it. She followed in her mother's footsteps and spent 80% of her memory card (we called them "film" back in my day) on photos of the zoo, not forgetting the squirrels and pigeons. They crammed as many historic monuments and museums as they could into those days as well.

front row, forth from left

Then, a mere two days after returning home, Emma joined with Ben and a host of cousins to go on Grammy and Grandpa's highly acclaimed church history tour (click through for a thorough retelling of the events).
How do you thank two people for driving up and down the eastern US with seven grandkids and sharing some of the most important church history sites with them? I don't think you can, really...but a blog-thanks is a good start. THANKS!

Jonah, Sydney, Tanner, Emma, Connor, Silas, Ben

A hunt

2011-06-01T20:12:00.000-04:00

Lydia: When I grow up I want to be a hunt and a ballet.
Me: What's a hunt?
Lydia: I want to hunt all kinds of different animals....
Me [in brain]: Whaaa? Four-year-old girl has never before mentioned wanting to shoot animals. Doesn't add up.
Lydia: ...so if like they're lost or something I can find them and take them to their owners so they won't have to look for them.
Me: Oh! You want to find and save lost animals?
Lydia: Yeah, all kinds of animals.
Me: Great idea. [in brain: not to kill them]

Virginia Creeper Trail -or- 17 Miles of Family Bliss

2011-05-28T19:11:00.000-04:00

Scott's 7th time
Emma, Ben and Josh's 4th (remember?)
Lori and Lydia's 2nd (remember?)
Afton's 1st

Afton had her doubts for the first few miles ("I want get out!"), but once she made peace with the fact she was going to stay in the trailer for awhile she warmed up to it and had a good time, even laughing by the end. Frequent breaks to get out and play on the playground and climb on the rocks helped. Lydia wanted to try out the tag-a-long this time, so she and Josh took turns between that and sharing the trailer with Afton. Josh is quite decided that he will be practiced enough to ride his own bike next time (he did not enjoy taking a turn in the trailer).

Here's a recap:

I almost forgot to show you...

2011-05-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

...one of my favorite Mother's Day gifts.

Thanks, Ben.

Old stuff

2011-05-19T21:01:00.000-04:00

Scott downloaded the photos/videos from his iphone for the first time ever last week. Ever! He's had that thing for at least two years. It was fun to go through them and remember the good times. Here, remember them with us:

Starting with the most recent: business trip to NYC.

Helping with tornado cleanup in Chatanooga.

Answering a knock at his office door at church.

Ice skating on Christmas Eve.

Lucky Emma gets invited to Dollywood.

Success!

Scout field trip to Appalachian Museum.

Treasure hunting in Arkansas.

Lydia dressing up.

Santa.

Josh went through a major push-up phase:

Remember when I talked about how fast Scott is?

And finally, Lydia at two-and-a-half years old.

After and Before and After

2011-05-18T07:33:00.001-04:00

A couple of Saturdays ago we cleaned out the garage. For real. It's never been so clean. Of course, I didn't think to take a before shot, only the after. But if you've been over to our house in the past few years, you are no doubt familiar with the normal mountain of shoes you have to risk twisting an ankle to cross over before coming inside through the garage. We don't keep any of our shoes in closets inside (because we just never wear them inside). We had an old bookcase that was supposed to help keep the shoes organized and tidy, but it never worked like it should. Too many shoes. This big garage clean-up included the purchase of some sweet baskets that now hang on one wall. Each person in the family has their own basket for keeping all of their shoes, plus one extra for everyone's work shoes (so they're easy to find when we're working on the fort). We are currently two full weeks into our new system and so far every shoe has been put away where it belongs every time. Amazing.

Top: Lori, Scott, shelf for the shoes I don't want smashed, misc
Middle: Emma, Work shoes, sports stuff, sports stuff
Bottom: Afton, Lydia, Josh, Ben

Then I was feeling all organizey and decided my sewing nook had been neglected just about long enough. The bonus room has two dormers, I claimed one of them long ago in the name of sewing. One day I plan to move this operation out of the cramped space and take over a whole third of the bonus room, but that will have to wait until all members of this family are trustworthy around scissors and needles and fabric and paint.

I did think to take befores this time. From this angle it doesn't look so bad...

...but check out the floor:

Yikes!

I cleaned up and painted the former shoe-wrangling book case from the garage and put it to work keeping all my sewing and crafty gear in order.

Why yes, yes there is a carpet in here.
Thanks for noticing.

...of blossoms of blue

2011-05-16T07:09:00.002-04:00

When I was growing up, every single Mother's Day we delivered breakfast in bed to my mom. We kids and our dad would shuffle into her room early before church carrying a tray laden with toast or eggs and juice or milk, and handmade cards, and usually the comics section of the newspaper. And as we made our way to her side of the bed, we would sing I Often Go Walking. Brad called me the week before Mother's Day this year with an idea. He wanted to give Mom a pillow with some lyrics from that song to Mom and wondered if I'd be willing to make one to be from both of us. No problem. We talked through all the lines, looking for something just right and settled on "Gather Armfuls". I added a few blossoms of blue to make it complete. Happy Mother's Day.

Strawberry picking

2011-05-10T11:02:00.000-04:00

We had some super-fine weather for picking strawberries a couple of Saturdays ago. This was the first year we've gone as a family--there always seemed to be one thing or the other crowding our schedules in years past. The kids thought it was way cool, we ended up with two overflowing flats. We spent the afternoon snacking and snacking on our sweet bounty. Then that night Scott and I made pints and pints of freezer jam.

For some reason Afton was sure she needed a shovel.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T14:12:00.000-04:00

Remember this?

Isn't it about time for another?

Isn't Mother's Day a good excuse?

Thanks, guys, for making me Mom.

Easter (hunting edition)

2011-05-05T07:16:00.000-04:00

Easter (photographic harassment edition)

2011-05-02T07:41:00.001-04:00

You would think I would have come up with at least one good shot of the kids when they were standing on the porch in their Easter-Sunday-finery--out of the several I took, just one image would show everyone looking at the camera with their eyes opened and their hands down. But no, these are the best ones I got:

Good thing we can always fall back on jumping and hugging shots.

Here's our hail...we're okay

2011-04-28T19:45:00.001-04:00

Yesterday evening found us hovering around the computer, watching our local news station's broadcast. We kept a close eye on the signature hook formation in the storm system moving our way, then the next and the next and the next.

The closest tornado touched down one county over, to the west. We were fortunate to only get two big rounds of hail. The three big kids came out of bed and scurrying downstairs as the first one hit our house. Emma and Ben: excited, Josh: terrified. (Little girls miraculously slept through it all.) The roar of it pummeling the roof was deafening, accented by the chunks of ice hitting the windows. As soon as the first system moved past, Scott ran out and collected handfuls of the huge hail which are now in our freezer. When he opened the door we all looked out and the air was thick with mist and the strong scent of pine trees (like Christmas). We lost power in the midst of round two of the hail (came back on around 2 or 3 am). To calm the adrenalin rush, Scott told the kids a good long story before sending them back to bed. We passed the powerless time watching some of The War together on his phone (snuggly!).

This morning we woke to find our front window screens torn up, broken glass in the boys' window (only the outer pane, so all was dry), some of the shingles askew, and a host of pock marks and cracks in our siding. The yard looks like we had it aerated. Venturing out into town for the days' activities we discovered everything south of the interstate to be covered with a carpet of leaves and branches, and highlighted with fallen trees and just a couple of impassable flooded streets.

It was a singular experience for us, but tuning into the news we were sobered to find that our worries were inconsequential compared with much our region. Our prayers continue to go out to those who lost everything.

Helping to make dinner

2011-04-22T07:20:00.000-04:00

We're having Hello Kitty Surprise.

Wheat grass progress

2011-04-20T07:45:00.001-04:00

Fun for the kids: grow some wheat grass for spring.

Learning to quilt

2011-04-18T07:04:00.000-04:00

I joined an online charity quilting bee a little while ago. When I'm short on time to complete whole entire quilts (which is pretty much always), making only two blocks a month is just the thing to satisfy the desire and learn some new things. The lady who was in charge of designing April's blocks chose "wonky stars". (If you ever want to read the word "wonky" in abundance, just start browsing around quilting discussions.) I am anxious to see photos of these two little guys as part of a big quilt. Can't wait to see what next month's assignment will be.

Thank you, Dogwood

2011-04-13T08:23:00.000-04:00

Everywhere I drive all over town I'm overwhelmed with dogwooded goodness these days. My little guys are doing just fine too. Their leaves have been emerging, but I really didn't expect to get any blooms this year. This one surprised me.

Have I ever mentioned....

2011-04-11T13:05:00.001-04:00

....how great it is to have a brother who is not only qualified to dispense medical advice for your children, but also doesn't mind taking time out of his Saturday afternoon to talk to you and diagnose your daughter's eczema-turned-skin-cracked-open-turned-infection on her poor fingers and hands and call in the necessary prescriptions thus saving you a trip to wait for hours to be seen at the ER because you just don't know if you should wait until Monday to take her to the dr. because her hands look so awful and they're hurting her and so swollen she can't really hold a pencil very well and how's she supposed to take TCAPS like that??

It's the best. Thanks, Troy.

On my front porch

2011-04-07T13:27:00.000-04:00

At the end of a sunny day for my hunters and gatherers.

Leaving proof

2011-04-05T12:22:00.000-04:00

Guess who's never in the photos around here?
The one taking them.
Guess who that is?
Hi! I'm the mom! No one really thinks to pull out the camera and capture me (including me).
Then I linked over to this. (via my bff, Gabby)
So true, so true. We need more photos of me. With the kids. By myself. With Scott (the last time I needed a shot of us together I had to look back years to find one).
So I kept the camera accessibly on the counter all day long and kept getting myself in the frame. This needs to be a habit. Is this narcissistic? I don't think so. I think it's only right--leaving proof that I was here all along. Here's to more of me!

And heck, we need more of Scott with Afton too.

Everyone loves the school playground after hours

2011-03-31T07:10:00.000-04:00

No poison ivy here. Just good times. The kids even get to go over and enjoy the monkey bars which are strictly off-limits during recess (a few too many broken arms aparantly--bunch of babies). Lydia was most engaged with running her bakery-shop...which started off as just one window section, then expanded to include the whole structure (designating sleeping quarters and a bathroom even).

You see where this is going, right?

We're building a fort - part 4

2011-03-30T07:49:00.001-04:00

Remember how I mentioned all that brush had some poison ivy tangled up in it?

So far we've worked three full Saturdays on clearing the brush (ended up filling the dumpster twice). The first two Saturdays poison ivy made a tiny, inconsequential appearance on a few of us. One or two bumps here or there. No biggie.

The third Saturday I didn't join Scott and the kids as I was spoiled with girls-night-out-type plans all day long. Somehow, the poison ivy sensed the maternal absence and attacked. Emma, Ben, and Josh were stricken with itchy bumps on their arms, faces, and stomachs (luckily the little girls didn't really help, so they're okay). Emma got the worst of the kids, by far. That's what she gets for being the hardest worker. Scott, however, took it to a whole new level--he looked like a leper on Sunday morning. Head to toe, he was itchy. The most troublesome spot being his right eye, which was bright red and swollen half-way shut by Monday morning. He went to the doctor's office and got a shot which calmed things down. We debated for a few days whether or not to take the kids in. Their vote was a resounding NO (they'd rather deal with itching than needles any day). Since they weren't nearly as affected as Scott we let them wait it out with calamine lotion. We asked them, is it worth it for the fort? Yes, they all agreed, though they eye the cleared area with notable wariness now.

he's exaggerating, by the way

Quilt top completed

2011-03-28T07:29:00.000-04:00

Here's the quilt I'm working on now. I used the last of those three Amy Butlers plus one Erin McMorris (from the garland), then filled in with some odds and ends I had stashed. I ended up going to get some bone colored solid to break up the beautiful patterns and for the back (still in progress). I went with rectangles in the same height, but random widths...because it seemed just a baby step above an all-squares quilt. But now I'm thinking it was a little easier because there were no corners to line up. Mmm, although I'm not really sure how the rows got off kilter, but that will be easy enough to even up later. I plan to quilt the whole thing with long vertical lines. I'm not sure yet how far apart I'll put them. I think really close together (like 1/4 - 1/2 inch) would look good, but that might take the rest of my life to do. We'll see.

Pink thread? Light brown? One of those fancy-pants color-changey ones maybe?

Plenty of time to decide, I probably won't even get back to it for weeks. The top is the most fun part.

P.S. Double-posted at amme and neb: the blog.

And the winner is...

2011-03-26T08:30:00.001-04:00

Brianna, of Fisher Fotography, who said...

"So cute! You are so creative. You are surely becoming my craft idol!"

Talk about karma; Brianna is doing a giveaway of her own right now.
I'll bring it to you on Sunday, Bri!

Felt Circle Garland Tutorial

2011-03-25T07:50:00.002-04:00

I liked Julie's gift so much I wanted to make another. Plus I've been wanting to do a tutorial for awhile, this seemed like a good fit. (It's the week of finally doing things I've been meaning to do!)

These are instructions for how to make a 10-ft long garland of 2-inch circles with felt on one side and fabric on the other. Like so:

Here's what you need:
2-inch circle template (or bottom of a cup--whatever)
3 sheets of felt (you can cut 20 circles out of each one)
Fabric (you can use just one print, a few different coordinating prints, scraps or yardage, whatever works)
Sewable Heat-n-bond Lite (or comparable)
Scissors
Invisible thread

STEP 1:
Using your template, trace 60 circles onto your heat-n-bond.

Trace onto the papery side, not the webby side.

You don't need to number them...I just do it to keep
myself from counting and recounting and recounting.

STEP 2:

Roughly cut out each circle. Not all the way to your drawn line, but you have to get pretty close to go the efficient route of fitting 20 on each sheet of felt. Now place your circles webby side down on your felt and run over them with an iron to fuse. If you like wasting felt, feel free to just slap a whole section of your heat-n-bond paper onto your felt willy-nilly...that would save you the time of pre-cutting the circles, but saving materials always beats out saving time if you ask my frugal-pants.

Fusing: cotton heat setting, no steam, about three seconds.

Ahh, maximum capacity.

Step 3:

Cut out all of those circles right on your traced line. I find it helpful to cut the sheet into squares first.

Do it for all three of your sheets of felt.

Step 4:
Fuse all those bad boys onto your fabric.
First, peel of the paper backing that's left on your felt circles.

Now you've got two options:

You can lay out your pretty fabric with the wrong side facing up, then put your circles on top of it with the fusing side down (touching the fabric), then iron on top of the felt to adhere them to the fabric. BUT, it's a little more difficult to send the heat all the way through the felt. You have to press extra-super hard (like standing up and pressing with all your weight), and sometimes it still doesn't stick together very well.

SO, I always go with option two: lay out your circles with the fusing side facing up, making sure that they're arranged in a way that will fit on the fabric you are using. Then, place the pretty fabric on top of your circle collection, with the wrong side down. Iron on top of the fabric to adhere it to them. You don't have to press as hard since the fabric is thinner than felt.

But maybe you're stronger than me (maybe), so it's your choice.

All arranged, fusing side up.

Fabric is right on top of those circles, iron them on.
Same cotton heat setting, about 10 seconds this time.

They're stuck together forever now.

Repeat for all your circles on as many fabrics as you like.
I like four fabrics.

Step 5:
More cutting. Now cut all of those circles out of your fabric.

Do this again if you like...it makes it easier. Promise.

Like so.

Step 6:
Time to head to your sewing machine. You can use any type of thread really, but I like invisible thread. Because it's invisible. And also strong.

Decide if you want your pretty garland circles to go in a pattern or to just be random. I wanted a pattern. This one:

So I laid them out on my sewing desk in order.

Put your first circle under the foot and start sewing close to the top edge. Backstitch a little here, then just sew right down to the bottom.

When you get very near the bottom edge stop with your needle down. Then lift up the foot and slide the next circle under it. Foot back down and just keep sewing. It's okay if there are a few stitches between each circle. And you don't need to backstitch again until the very end of your garland.

Just keep feeding those circles in.

Pretty soon, you have a pretty circle garland
snaking out the back of your machine.

When you come to your very last circle, backstitch again right at the end. Trim your invisible threads. Gasp and wonder at what an easy and beautiful project this was.

Bytheway: I'm using these four fabrics plus a few more for a new quilt--bigger this time.
I'll show you the finished top next week.

The display options are limitless:

Hang it around your chandelier.

Or from your mantel.

Or on a bunkbed. You may want to take a minute to tidy up your four-year-old's bed first.
Otherwise your photo will look like this.

They even look nice just stacked up.

See the invisible thread? Of course you can't. It's invisible.

Questions, comments? Let me know. Criticisms? There is no room for haters here. Move along.

P.S. Finished garland now available in the shop.
P.P.S. Double-posted at amme and neb: the blog.

She can fly

2011-03-23T07:34:00.000-04:00

Or: Emma shows off at Grammy and Grandpa's house.

Up...

...up...

...and away.

Still focused enough for meditation.

Almost perfect baby quilt giveaway

2011-03-21T07:22:00.002-04:00

So. I've been wanting to make a quilt for ages. It's intimidating though. Fabric is expensive. Machine quilting can be tricky (I'm told). I didn't want to spend tons of money on something and then ruin it. But lately I just can't shake the feeling, I'm itching to do it. I want to make the boys bedspreads. I want to make a big quilt for the family to use when we watch tv (it will go great with the afghan that I started almost two years ago and is currently about half way done). Ultimately I want to make a king-sized quilt for our bed. So I need practice.

I had several leftover squares from a charm pack I got for a custom order I did awhile back. The perfect opportunity to make a little baby quilt with very little investment for supplies. (Brown solid for sashing and back, coordinating print for binding and filling in the back a little, batting, spray adhesive, that's it.)

The most fun part was laying out the squares. The actual quilting was satisfying, though not without its problems. Hand-finishing the binding was the worst. Nonetheless, I'm hooked. I'm ready to do another.

As I was working on this little quilt, my kids kept asking what it was for. Ummm, really just because I want to make one. I only know one person who's expecting a baby, and it's months until she'll have a shower. It's not really good enough to sell; a couple of wonky corners, a few puckering spots in the quilting, the squares sure don't all line up just right. (practice, practice, practice)

So what does that leave me with? A giveaway. Hooray! The quilt is smallish--approximately 26x23 inches, a good size for laying a new baby down on the floor. Or just looking cute draped over the side of a crib. Or covering baby's legs in the stroller. Giveaway is open all week--just leave a comment--I'll choose a winner Friday night.

Charm squares are from It's a Hoot by Moda.

The back.

Quilty, wrinkly goodness.

You love quilts. You know you do.

Ben = good

2011-03-18T07:55:00.003-04:00

He's collected over $50 so far (the majority donated by kids), just from asking around. This was a totally self-motivated venture. He read a story at school about a girl who raised money for the zoo. He came home and proclaimed that he wanted to do that for Children's Hospital. When I asked why exactly did you pick Children's Hospital, he explained his reasoning--that maybe if they had more money kids wouldn't get sick so often. Sounds good to me.

We're building a fort - part 3

2011-03-16T09:06:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday was dumpster day. One of our favorite people has a waste management company, so we were happy to give him some business. The kids were very impressed when he dropped it off in the morning. ("I didn't know Brother Martin could drive a big truck like that!") Here's the cleared part of the yard and the huge pile of yard waste, cinderblocks, miscellaneous trash and scrap metal that we found in our little woodsy area:

We spent many scratchy, dirty hours loading our big pile into the dumpster. The abundance of rain this past week left the ground soft and sloppy. This was great for pulling vines and roots out of the ground and digging up stumps. Also great for those who enjoy worm-finding and making mud soup. Everyone's a winner. No photos of the work in progress, we were too dirty and busy. But here's the dumpster at the end of the day:

Here's what I loved about this day:

We were all together all day long. Time and time again a large tree was stuck in the pile, and we would have to pull together to get it free. Amidst singing the Wonder Pets song ("What's going to work? Teeeeeamwork."), we were able to highlight the need to help each other, the fact that our family is stronger when we're united. We had a good discussion on capacity when Josh was feeling bad about himself because he didn't do as much work as Scott. Everyone labored with an eye toward a larger goal that will be realized far in the future, they're learning to focus on outcomes/consequences that are not immediate. We had fun.

Happy Birthday Julie

2011-03-14T07:57:00.000-04:00

Over 20 feet of festive, felted fun.

Afton...

2011-03-06T12:53:00.001-05:00

...calls this her Dragon Milk...

...and does this when I'm in the shower.

Two new pillows for the shop

2011-03-04T07:30:00.003-05:00

(Did you notice?)

"Come What May and Love It" because it's good advice for anyone, anytime. I find this very easy to believe in when things are going great, but unbelievably difficult when you find yourself faced with critism, trials, loss or any of life's valleys. It's still the best choice though, even then.

"You Are My Sunshine" because it's almost spring. And I love that song, who doesn't? I hear my sister-in-law singing it to her little son all the time and it makes me happy. One other attached memory: my sister has triplets. They were born 10 weeks early and in the NICU for months. My mom would join my sister frequently to visit them. (This was way back when we lived in Utah, bytheway, so we couldn't visit too. Or we would have. We love them.) Anyway, my mom said she would always sing them this song and tear up on the line "please don't take my sunshine away", not knowing for sure if those tiny babies were going to pull through. Wow, I know, I didn't mean to get so heavy! I have a lot of sunshines to love too.

Edit: at the last minute I decided to enter the sunshine one in the monthly pillow contest over at Stitched in color. Check it out...

We're building a fort - part two

2011-02-22T07:36:00.000-05:00

We continue to tear away at the brush (slow but steady). Scott dug out a couple of stumps last night while the kids and I focused on vines. We've got enough of the big stuff out of the way that we can start to visualize where the fort will sit.

The other day the kids spent the afternoon drawing up plans and thinking up details. Two story, with a slide down from the top. Open front, big windows on the sides. Flags. Built-in hideouts and shelving. We'll call it Ezurc Fort.

I finally made one for us

2011-02-19T14:30:00.000-05:00

For months now I've been making this pillow for other people. Always in the back of my mind was the notion that I'd make one for our family room couch someday. The stars of time and effort finally aligned and our home just got an extra dose of love...

(better light in the dining room for a photo)

I love this pillow. I love it in my home for the same reason I assume other people wanted to have it for theirs. A visible but subtle reminder. Seeing it one hundred times a day works on the subconscious of the whole family to make an effort for every word, action and intention be infused with love ... ~~even~~ especially when we don't feel like it. Love is spoken here. Always. As a standard. Even when someone unwraps every piece of your gum and licks it. Even when you never get to pick which show to watch. Even when someone broke your stuff. Even when someone decorates the clothes she's wearing (extensively) with a black marker. Love.

yeah, this was totally staged..."Sit on the couch by the new pillow and hug!"

I think that's enough love for now.

More good writing from school

2011-02-18T08:45:00.000-05:00

This time from Josh. He received a paper with a picture of a kangaroo explaining that he is getting ready to do his morning exercises and instructions to write a story that tells about the exercises the kangaroo does during his workout. Here is Josh's interpretation of that compelling theme (note: Josh's favorite Pokemon is named Shellcraft)...

"One morning Jack decided he'd work out at the gym with Shellcraft, his best friend. So he got into gym clothes. He went to the gym. He met Shellcraft there. Shellcraft asked, did I ever tell you the story when I went into a cave? Yes said Jack (Shellcraft forgets stuff a lot). So they did push ups, they jumped, and they did jumping jacks. They went home after that."

We're building a fort - part one

2011-02-16T13:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to a new feature here on The Real Cruze Family.

Building some sort of treehouse/fort thing in the back yard has been an idea that's been tossed around for the last couple of years. I don't know what triggered the shift from talk to action over the weekend -- perhaps the realization that these kids just keep growing up and they're never going to stop, perhaps the wonderful 60 degree weather that came on Saturday, maybe we just needed a reason to do something big together -- but action was taken.

The first step was clearing the brush that's been in charge of the back 15 feet of our yard ever since we moved in. A mess of vines, weeds, poison ivy, small half-dead trees, twiggy jumbles. Photos don't do justice to the change in the landscape, but here they are anyway...

We initially looked into having someone come bobcat it up, but estimated it would cost us about $500. No thanks, we'll just take advantage of the chance to fine tune our work ethic.

Stay tuned for updates, probably over the course of the rest of the year. This is not something we plan to finish anytime soon. Maybe by the end of the summer. Maybe by Christmas. Of 2012.

2011-02-14T14:56:00.001-05:00

Original idea-lady and how-to HERE.

Have you made your Valentine's collection boxes yet?

2011-02-11T14:22:00.002-05:00

Josh has.

(did you know he likes Kirby?)

What Ben would think if the power went out

2011-02-07T14:44:00.001-05:00

Ben wrote this little scenario for a writing exercise in school the other day. I'm glad I know his teacher and she knows I'm normal.

If the power went off for a day I would be very sad. I would miss my Wii the most. I can watch movies on it. That lets my mom cook. I get to watch a movie while she cooks. That makes it so she can cook dinner. If the power went off, I would not be able to watch TV, and my mom would not be able to cook. That's why we need power.

I hope the power stays on, otherwise we'll be bored AND hungry.

Valentine's Day Cards

2011-02-02T14:36:00.000-05:00

These weren't my idea, but I wish they were.

All the way last year, I bookmarked this blog post that I linked over to from somewhere (can't remember where now). Then in mid-January snapfish offered me 99 prints for 99 cents. Like it was meant to be.

If you want to copy too there's still time.

Happy Birthday Christian

2011-01-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

...with your super-hero themed birthday party, we thought you could use some super-hero snack bags.

Another movie??

2011-01-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

Yeah, we just can't stop.
Emma wants to learn how to use imovie. Good goal.

She needed some good material to work with so Ben came up with a catchy premise, all the kids contributed ideas and punchlines, and I acted as camera man. Emma took control of the editing, cutting, soundtracking, perhaps enjoying most the transitions and title screens.

I remember in middle school making dozens of movies with my friends and thinking they were pure gold. I wish I still had those.

Presenting Emma's debut film, Cruze Critical Confessions.

P.S. Let me know if you need any clarification on the dialogue...sometimes hard to hear. I don't want you to miss out on how hilarious it is.

jelly, butter, honey, turkey, cheese

2011-01-21T11:38:00.001-05:00

Sometimes when I don't know what to make for lunch I just tell the kids to get whatever they want.
Sometimes they choose a bowl full of cantaloupe slices (Lydia).
Sometimes they invent a new sandwich (Josh).

The end of an era

2011-01-16T20:33:00.002-05:00

What's that next to the trash can, you ask?

Oh nothing. Just an eleven-year-old crib mattress.

The one that's held Emma, Ben, Josh, Lydia and Afton.

And now it's done.

Eleven years of bearing tiny newborns who barely take up a corner, rowdy toddlers who jump and climb, and every disgrace imaginable involving bodily fluids.

The mattress has been sporting rips and shreds for some time now, and moves on to a new life at the dump.

The crib however, was given a more respectful retirement. It has managed to stand up quite well to all the abuse five kids had to offer it. It is presently disassembled and in the attic, ready for a long hibernation until grandbaby Cruzes have need of it.

. . . . .

Hey look, someone put my baby in a big-girl bed.

Did I mention the snow?

2011-01-15T13:11:00.002-05:00

We got this much.

I'm sure you've seen everyone else's posts about it anyway. I did not take any good photos of it. I took zero of the kids playing in it. Which is a real shame, because I could have gotten some great ones when we walked over to the horse farm next to our neighborhood. They have some fantastic big hills for sledding there. And the huge snowman the kids whipped up would've been nice for posterity. This was the first time I bundled up Afton and let her join in with the frosty fun. She loved it. She loved walking through it, eating it, making snow angels. She loved every minute until she very suddenly decided she hated it and wouldn't stop taking her gloves off and then couldn't stop crying and wailing, "My hands!" because they were freezing. Unfortunately this moment came all the way over at the horse farm...it was a long walk home. Here is how she looked when she was finally home and warming up with some hot chocolate:

Still wearing about half of her layers of clothes from the snow.

And while the big kids stayed a bit longer at the horse farm, they decided to pet some of the horses. Which was all going just fine until one of them made a quick turn and some piece of its equipment slapped Emma right over the eyeball.

Ouch.

Happy Birthday, from your favorite animal.

Newsmaker

2011-01-09T13:00:00.001-05:00

She knows how to purl now... fancy!

Edit: Little Miss Knitting-Pants is 11 today (Monday).
ELEVEN.

I can never say enough good about this girl.
She continues to exceed our expectations.
Bonus: school got snowed out for her birthday!
Love you, Emma.

Sometimes when you hear a good song you just have to make a movie for it

2011-01-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

Last night I redeemed an itunes gift card

(which I won at Christmas Bingo Night...we didn't snag any grand prizes this year, but still made out pretty well).

It was fun to browse and collect a few songs I've been wanting lately.

This one, I loved.

And so...

the kids in 2010
Hourglass

What should I call this post?

2011-01-03T08:00:00.003-05:00

"Best Christmas gift ever"?

"I know it's just a thing, but it makes me so happy"?

"I love this so much I want to cry"?

"Scott never ceases to amaze me"?

On an agreed upon No Gifts year, my husband went and got me exactly the family tree art that I've had bookmarked under "Someday" for about two years now. Six generations, seven if you count our kids there at the roots. Leaves showing where everyone is from. From Tennessee to Wales. Iowa to England. Utah to Scotland. Beauty. Heritage. Photos do no justice. Thanks, Love.

Edit: he got it here.

Goodbye 2010 Books

2010-12-31T07:55:00.000-05:00

2 23 books. A tie with 2009!

I I intended to do some more reading over Christmas break, but found myself too occupied with family partying, goodie-plate eating, game-playing, movie-wathcing and over all merry-making.

The Fablehaven series was a fun one to read with Ben this year. He is almost done with the 5th one right now. I like having a series to talk about with him.

Richard Peck is my new go-to author for a really quick, funny read. His books do not fail to make me laugh and have such a homey, simple feel to them somehow (like comfort food, except books).

No big stand-outs this year, but several that I enjoyed very much.

More on Afton = two

2010-12-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

Two years old. (Sporting supla-cute outfit from Troy and Dan.) When do we have to stop calling her our baby? My mom still calls me that. So I guess never.

She used to say her name like "At-dee." Now she says "At-don." I want her to still say At-dee.

She says "Oh, I'm sorry" all the time, in the correct context or not.

She gives kisses. Oh so many kisses.

Her favorite thing is baby dolls.

She got this little baby bed for her birthday. Grandpa Cruze made it for Aunt Rachel when she was little. Rachel only has a little boy, so she wanted Afton to have it. At-dee loves it.

Merry

2010-12-23T14:40:00.000-05:00

Leading up to Christmas (the rest of the hints that it's close it's close)

2010-12-20T07:09:00.003-05:00

We put the tree up. Right after Thanksgiving like we always do. We did not have a chance to trim it for about a week though. That did not stop the kids. They found plenty of things to decorate with.

Okay, here we go...the real deal. Afton loved putting the ornaments on more than anyone this year. She would race to put hers on the tree and race back to me while I unpacked them from the boxes asking for "Nother one? Nother one?"

We went over to Dillsboro NC on a rainy Saturday with all the Cruzes for hot chocolate, and quaint ornament shops and candy stores (the latter of which featured music and singing-a-long which got us in the spirit).

The Cruze women swapped cookies. It was delicious. I didn't win this year. That's okay, I wasn't trying to (but look out in 2011).

Santa came to preschool.

Afton and Trey shared a birthday celebration. Two and eighteen.

Followed by the annual nativity pageant with all the [edit:] local Barber cousins. The cast is seriously cute.

And finally, our milk is good until Christmas Eve...it's practically here!